Knitted stocking



4, 1941- J. L. GETAZ 30,

KNITTED STOCKING Filed Dec. 10, 1955 s Sheets-Sh eet- 1 k k H in- INVENTOR JAMES L. GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS J. L GETAZ 2,230,402

KNITTED STOCKING Filed Dec. 10, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JAMES L. GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS Feb. 4, 1941. J. L GETAZ- KNITTED STOCKING 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 10, 1935 TATE INVENTOR JAMES L. GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE This invention relates to seamless hosierymade of plain fabric and more particularly to hosiery having elastic threads incorporated in the fabric along with inelastic body threads to acteristic of a stocking made 'in' accordance with this invention that it is contracted by the elastic so that the wales are drawn together alternately on the back and front of the fabric, giving a flat surface similar tome and one rib fabric.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a development of part of the knitting wave andknitting cams of a circular knitting machine, looking from the inside out, embodying my invention, showing how the two yarns are fed to the needles;

Figure 2 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 1, showing the needle circle and the manner in which the elastic yarn is fed to the needles and drawn out of action, the small arrow indicating the knocking-over point;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic horizontal section through fabric made in accordance with my invention, taken on the line 33 of Figure 5, the fabric being shown in an expanded state;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Figure'5, showing the fabric in its normal or contracted state;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the interlooping of the yarns in a fabric made in accordance with my invention, the upper portion of this figure showing the fabric as it lies on the needles, and the lower portion showing the fabric contracted with its normal or one and one rib appearance;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of two needles showing the position of the rubber yarn as it lies against the shank of the elevated needle;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the lower needle partly raised so as to drive the elastic yarn behind the hook of the lower needle;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the interlooping of the yarns in the novel anti-ravel selvage of my stocking;

Figure 9 is a view in elevation of suflicient of the left side of a seamless hosiery knitting machine to show the mechanism for controlling the elastic yarn;

Figure '10 is a diagrammatic outline showing the appearance of the back of the upper portion of a mans hose embodying my invention; while Figure 11 is an-enlarged diagram of'the interlooping in part of a course where the elastic yarn is present, the fabric being expanded.

The stocking will be described and shown as a mans half hose, but it should be understood that it is equally applicable to any other kind of hosiery. In making stockings or socks which have some elastic element incorporated in them to maintain the suck in position on the leg, difficulty is encountered in producing an article having a satisfactory appearance. My novel stocking is a weltless one, that is to say, the top of the sock or stocking is of a single thickness. It is begun on the bare needles, makes an anti-revel of its own and produces a top or cuff having the appearance of smooth flat one and one rib fabric such as is usually found in a mans sock-all thisbeing done on a single set of needles.

In the case of my novel stocking-thereis an interlaced or anti-ravel elastic yarn l'l exercising tension on the fabric and tending to contract it. The actual interloopings of the selvage are somewhat similar to those in the Robert W. Scott Patent No. 1,148,056, dated July 27, 1915, but the fabric is sharply contracted laterally by the elastic tension. The first looped course l2 in the top will preferably be made of inelastic yarn, although it can be made of elastic yarn if desired. The anti-ravel yarn ll lies in the loops of course l2. In general I find'it desirable -to use elastic yarn in the top only at intervals. After making the anti-ravel H of an elastic yarn, I find it preferable with most elastic yarns in ordinary socks not to insert elastic again until say the second or' third course of loops in the top. Thereafter the elastic can be introduced at the same interval repeatedly throughout the portion of the stocking where desired. Thus it can be put in the top, the top and leg, or the top, leg and foot, or any partthereof.

The ordinary inelastic yarn I3 is knit in the regular manner while the elastic yarn is fed in differentiated manner to alternate needles. In no wale is the elastic yarn knitted in as distinguished from laid in, floated, or tied in.

In my invention I tie in the elastic yarn in every alternate wale l4 on the back of the fabric and float it in the adjacent or intervening wales il,repeatlng this procedure all the way around the stocking. Thus the elastic yarn 20 is incorporated in the fabric by interlacing on the I find that by thus alternately tying in and laying in the elastic yarn under adequate tension, the fabric is contracted sothat the wales in which the elastic yarn is. free are drawn to the front of the fabric and the wales in which the elastic yarn is tied in are drawn to the back of the fabric and buried out of sight. In this way'a neat, smooth and even appearance is given to the fabric without all the difficulties and complexities of a rib knitting machine. I also find that this structure with the elastic yarn alternately tied and floated in successive wales, when combined with the elastic yarn as the antiravel yarn at the beginning, produces a structure which is of such a nature that the tendency of the ordinary fabric edge to curl is very much reduced. This may be due partly to the fact that the elastic yarn tends to make the plain fabric assume the wale positions of rib fabric, and partly to the contraction or tension of the elastic yarn itself. It should also be noted that in order to change the fabric from the elastic rib top type of structure to the plain fabric of the ordinary leg or foot, it is necessary merely to withdraw the elastic yarn. In other words, the total number of wales in the fabric is not changed; it is not necessary to make any transfer from one needle to another. It is merely necessary to withdraw the yarn finger which is feeding the elastic yam It will be obvious, of course, that if desired the imitation rib fabric containing the elastic yarn in say every third course can be continued throughout the leg until the heel is reached; or if desired it can also be continued down to the foot.

Any circular knitting machine having cylinder needles with selectivity as between successive needles can be adapted to make this sock or stocking. Thus the well-known Scott 8: Williams type of revolving needle cylinder machine, such as shown for instance in the patent to Robert W. Scott 1,152,850, dated September 7, 1915, can be adapted to do this work by the addition of mechanism for feeding and tensionlng the rubber yarn and adjusting the knitting cams properly.

The preferred method of feeding the elastic yarn is by means of a finger 30 pivoted on a post 29 on the bedplate B to move in a horizontal plane just above the sinker cap 3M (Fig. 9) into and out of operative relation with the cylinder needles 2i, 22. In this case the delivery end of the rubber yarn finger 30 applies the rubber yarn 20 at a point on the needle circle which is just after the crest of the cam 366 raising the jacks 38E which lie under alternate needles. It will be the needles II with jacks which have the rubber yarn laid against their shanks. The elevation of the rubber yarn feeding finger is such that the needles 2i with jacks are raised until their latches are above the rubber yarn, so that as those needles are drawn down the yarn will be laid in but not knit in.

In the'absence of sum-- If-desired, this raising of the jack needles II can take place prior to passage by the switch cam (not shown), that is to say. between the customary widening pick and the. stitch cam. Shortly after the elastic yarn is laid against the raised needles Ii, .the iaokless needles 22 rise on the camming edge of the leading stitch cam I and interlace the rubber yarn by passing in front thereof. With this manipulation all the needles reach the drawdown cam I at the same level.

In starting up the sock from the bare needles with the elastic yarn laid in front of and behind the needles alternately in advance of the throat plate 560 as above described, the feeding of the rubber yarn commences slightly before the feeding of the non-elastic yarn in the throat plate in order that the first needle to which the elastic yarn is fed may reach the throat plate before the non-elastic yarn begins to feed. In order to get this advanced action of one of the yarn feeds, special movements can be obtained from either the main pattern drum or an auxiliary drum. In the drawings the abnormally early movement of the rubber yarn finger 30 is obtained by means of a link I connected to a pivoted lever 862 operated by a cam surface on the main pattern drum 120. By feeding the elastic yarn 20 to the needles as described and simultaneously feeding the non-elastic yarn ll to the hooks of the needles in a normal mannerall in one and the same course-the anti-revel startup construction described is obtained. This quick and simple manner of obtaining an antiravel elastic edge at the upper end of a weltless stocking is one of the features of my invention. The use of elastic yarn for the anti-ravel, in combination with the use of elastic yarn in subsequent courses, as will now be described, produces the much constricted fabric of my novel top. However, it should be noted that in order to produce this novel top it is necessary that the tension on the elastic yarn as it is fed into the machine be above a certain minimum and that the elastic be incorporated in a special manner. The tension must be great enough to pull the wales together till they give the appearance of rib fabric.

Turning now to the manipulation of the machine for the courses subsequent to the anti- .ravel startup on the bare needles, I have discovered that by using in subsequent courses the same manipulation of the needles and the yarns referred to above in connection with the starting-up course, and maintaining the high tension on the elastic yarn already referred to, unexpected advantages result. I have discovered that when the elastic yarn is introduced in this manner in a course subsequent to the anti-rave] course, the elastic yarn is entirely hidden on the face of the fabric except when the fabric is stretched to an extreme degree., Thus in the intervening wales l5 knit on those needles 2| where the elastic yarn 20 is laid in front of the shanks, the elastic yarn is floated and as the fabric turns over down into the fabric tube of the machine the elastic yarn floats lie inside the fabric and the intervening wales I5 cover entirely the alternate wales H of non-elastic yarn. In those wales H where the elastic yarn was laid behind the needles 22, the entire structure is outside the elastic yarn except for the adjacent sinker wales H of the wale H which go around in back of the elastic yarn, thus tying it into the fabric with the assistance of the adjacent sinker wales ll of the preceding course. This construction can be seen in Fig. 11 which is a diagram of the interlooping and interlacing in one course as seen from the front of the fabric while it is extended.

The elastic yarn is fed into the machine with a high tension such that as the fabric moves away from the needles down the fabric tube the fabric contracts to a normal state in which the one and one rib appearance already described occurs. is the intervening wales I5 which were knit on the needles where the elastic yarn was laid in front of the needles, which will form the face of the fabric, and the alternate wales ll knit on the needles where the elastic yarn was laid in back of the shanks lie buried in the rear of the fabric.

The elastic yarn can if desired be floated from course to course until it is time for its re-introduction, thus making the elastic yarn continuous throughout the portion of the fabric where it is present. This is indicated at 21 in Fig. 10. In this case the periodic introduction of the elastic yarn is obtained by manipulation of the needles. The elastic yarn finger 30 is kept in its operative position. Thus in a course where the elastic yarn is to be present, every jack needle 2| is raised before reaching the elastic yarn finger 30, and in courses where the elastic yarn is not to be present, no needles are raised until a point subsequent to the position of the elastic yarn finger is reached. In this connection it should be noted that the normal level for the tops of the needles at a point opposite the elastic yarn finger is below such finger so that unless a needle is specially raised by a jack it will pass the rubber yarn finger without taking the yarn.

In view of the great amount of the tension, it is very important that the tension be uniform at all times while the rubber yarn is being introduced and particularly so at the time that the stocking is being started. In some cases it is desirable for more tension to be used in the starting-up of the stocking than in the subsequent courses where the elastic yarn is present, but in any case the tension must be absolutely controlled. Under ordinary practice, the tension is maintained uniform at all times, and since it is important that the tension in the first course 01 the stocking be approximately the same as the tension on the elastic yarn in the last course in which it is present, it is important that there be no creeping of the rubber yarn toward the finger while the yarn is not feeding. The slightest variation therein will either cause a lack of uniformity in the stocking or a change in the width of the stocking. To minimize any such variations in tension, I prefer to place the ten-.

sioning means a considerable distance from the point at which the elastic yarn is fed to the needles. For this purpose I lead the elastic yarn to a point near the floor when using an elastic yarn which is covered, i. e., lastex or any other elastic yarn which has an inelastic covering. To reach this position near the fioor, the elastic yarn, shortly after leaving the elastic yarn finger, crosses over a roller. One kind of tensioning means which I find suitable for this work is the so-called button or disk tension. This con-. sists of two disks 32 pressed together lightly by an adjustable compression spring 33. Slight changes in the pressure on the disks by this compression spring make a considerable difierence in the width of the stocking or sock being knit In this normal contracted condition it by the machine. I also'find it wsential that there be substantially no tension on the elastic yarn between this disk tension and the elastic yarn supply 34. In order to insure this I can use a ballooner, to be sure that the elastic yarn will not hang or stick on the comb or bobbin from which it is coming.

Where the elastic yarn is an uncovered one it is sometimes desirable to provide the tension by leading the elastic yarn around a reel or circular disk and putting a. frictional brake on this reel. In this case I also prefer to use a takeup similar to that used for the heel and toe of the stocking in order to take up the-stack in the elastic yarn when it is not being fed into the machine. By the use of this takeup, in addition to the reel with the friction brake thereon, the tension of the elastic yarn when first introduced at the beginning of the stocking is uniform with the tension of the yarn as it is fed in in subsequent courses. The reel with the brake thereon prevents the rubber from crawling while the elastic yarn is not feeding to the machine, the crawling of course tending to reduce the tension on the yarn when it is first fed into the stocking. When that portion of the stocking or sock is completed where the elastic yarn is used, the elastic yarn is thrown out ofaction by withdrawing the yarn finger radially. This radial withdrawal throws the rubber yarn into a clamp 35 carried on the head of the machine and lying above the sinker cap between the throat plate and the yarn finger 30, this clamp holding the thread until the next stocking is started. If desired; and I find it preferable, the clamp may include a knife for cutting the elastic thread between the clamp and the needle cylinder, or if desired the clamp may hold the elastic yarn and allow it to break as the subsequent knitting operations increase the tension on the elastic yarn.

- As already mentioned, the elastic yarn may be the first course may be omitted and introduced in the second, third or any other desired number of courses in regular sequence or order. It is essential, however, that its introduction be at every other needle so that it lies in one wale and is floated in the next, so that owing to the tension of the elastic yarn the wales are pushed laterally and brought to the position that they would assume if the fabric was rib.

Where in this specification the words elastic yarn" are used, it should be understood that they include any resilient yarn, such for instance as rubber, lastex, etc. Where the specification refers to alternate needles," every other needle is meant.

The method of knitting the selvage herein shown and described is not claimed herein, as it forms the subject-matter of a separate patent, No. 2,054,217, granted septemberxidg,1 1936, upon an application Serial No. 59,125,\, ed January 14, 1936, which is'a division of this application.

The method of knitting the anti-ravel edge and knitting thereon the applicant's plain knit 65 The plain knit circular seamless anti-ravel edge,'selvage, or welt, of single thickness, herein shown and described, is not claimed herein, as it forms part of the subject-matter of a separate application Serial No. 201,861, filed April 14,

1938, which is a continuation-impart of this application.

What I claim is:

1. Plain weft knit fabric in which elastic yarn is present under heavy tension in a ooursewise direction, free of alternate wales and interlaced at intervening wales, said intervening wales appearing only on the back of the fabric when contracted by the elastic yarn, with the alternate wales giving a flat one and one rib appearance to the face of the fabric and the fabric having the width of rib fabric. v

2. A knitted seamless stocking composed of plain weft fabric, in combination with means for giving a portion of same the appearance of smooth one and one rib fabric, said means comprising elastic yarn interlaced in spaced courses, tied in at the alternate wales and free of intervening wales, said elastic yarn being under sumcient tension to contract the fabric to the width of rib fabric and bury the wales where the elastic yarn is held in the rear of the fabric.

3. A weft knit seamless stocking composed of plain fabric knit of relatively inelastic yarn, and elastic yarn interlaced in spaced courses of the welt of said stocking, said elastic yarn being held in alternate wales and free of the intervening wales and being-under sufficient tension to draw the intervening wales together, the wales in which the elastic yarn is tied-in by the loops constituting the rib wales being buried and on the inner or reverse side of the fabric.

4. A weft knit stocking having a top and leg of plain fabric, the wales of the leg being a continuation of the wales of the top, elastic yarn under high tension present in a plurality of courses in the top, said elastic yarn being tied in in alternate wales-and free of intervening wales, said elastic yarn thereby causing said separated intervening wales to come together, bury the alternate wales and form a flat front on the fabric similar to a one and one rib fabric.

5. Plain weft knit fabric in which elastic yarn under heavy tension is free of alternate wales and held at intervening wales in a course-wise direction, all of said wales being on the same side of the elastic yarn, said alternate wales due to the tension of the elastic yarn assuming a position on the outside of the fabric closely adjacent to each other, giving the appearance of true one and one rib fabric, said intervening wales being depressed behind the alternate wales.

6. Plain weft knit fabric having all the wales facing toward the outer face of the fabric, there being an unknit elastic thread incorporated in certain courses and united to the fabric at every other wale, the elastic being under sumcient tension to draw the alternate wales together to form the outer face of the fabric and submerge the intervening outwardly-facing wales, whereby the fabric has substantially the characteristics of one and one rib fabric.

7. Plain weft knit fabrichaving all the 'wales facing toward the outer face of the fabric, there being an unknit elastic thread incorporated in certain courses and united to the fabric at every other wale by the sinker loops, all the needle loops being on the same side of the elastic thread, the elastic being under sufficient tension to draw the alternate wales together to form the outer face of the fabric and submerge the intervening outwardly facing wales, whereby the fabric has substantially the characteristics of one and one rib fabric.

JAMES L. GETAZ. 

